Mimicking Photosynthesis To Split Water

plantsdoitsocanwe writes "An international team of researchers led by Monash University has used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis, paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The breakthrough could revolutionize the renewable energy industry by making hydrogen — touted as the clean, green fuel of the future — cheaper and easier to produce on a commercial scale." This was a laboratory demonstration only and the researchers say they need to bring up the efficiency.

Comments

Logic, in my Slashdot article?

[pchan-]

This was a laboratory demonstration only and the researchers say they need to bring up the efficiency.

Shame on you, submitter. This is Slashdot, you're supposed to write a sensational story and let the comments tell us why it actually won't work. If you're going to write things that make sense and treat us like adults, you're missing the entire point.

Re:Logic, in my Slashdot article?

[Anonymous Coward]

*Ahem*

HOLY COW BALLS!! They're are these guys in Monash University (a known Microsoft hotspot) who are experimenting with ways to take apart water. Now, they claim to be doing this for energy research, but that is an obvious lye because once the water was turned into oxygen and helium, the the two molecules would simply reassemble, with no gain in energy. Therefore, this is obviously just another attempt at government control. For example, say you bitch about copywrite...BOOM, there goes you're water. Your royally fucked now. Time to move to Canada.

Re:Logic, in my Slashdot article?

[Runefox]

Well, there went the logic.

Re:Logic, in my Slashdot article?

[disputationist]

once the water was turned into oxygen and helium

If they can turn hydrogen->helium with just sunlight and 1.2V, we will soon be turning base metals into gold...

Re:need to bring down cost too I bet.

[felipekk]

Because you are only truly green if you do it like the plants!

plants can split molecules?

[notgm]

they must be working up to the atom. this means war! bomb the crap out of those planty bastards.

Re:Cambrian Explosion of alternative energy techni

[ksd1337]

As an example, you could very well produce hydrogen very efficiently from sunlight without any fancy tech by simply focusing enough sunlight to raise the temperature to 2500 C, at which point water spontaneously separates into hydrogen and oxygen through thermolysis.

This is why these vapourware stories are so useless.

According to your first point, these stories would be called gasware stories instead of vaporware stories.

Re:I'll believe it when I see it

[Goldberg's Pants]

I think this is awesome news personally.

Next stop: Cold fusion! :)

Re:none of those messy chemicals?

[maglor_83]

You don't win friends with salad.

Re:Cambrian Explosion of alternative energy techni

[mrami]

("Of what use is a baby?")

That clearly depends on its tensile strength.

Re:I'll believe it when I see it

[aetherworld]

porn.

everything's been done in porn...

Re:Cambrian Explosion of alternative energy techni

[Jeppe Salvesen]

Good luck raising cash for investment while being extremely sober in your analysis!